This invention relates generally to gardening/landscaping and the like, and more particularly to methods, apparatus and kits for attaching artificial flowers to any pre-bloom, post-bloom or never-bloom live vegetation (growing plant life with live stems, branches and leaves) to resemble blooming live vegetation, such use of artificial flowers being already known in U.S. Patent prior art such as Brown, Jr. 2,514,177 (1950), Flynn 3,137,610 (1964) and Kingston 6,058,648 (2000).
The prior art also teaches patentability of non-relevant kits for use of artificial flowers, as in U.S. Patents to Garry 5,733,612 (1998), Litwin et al 4,600,612 (1986) and Deraney 6,017,596 (2000).
Kingston and Deraney refer to “the myriad of designs encompassed by the crowded prior art which have been developed for the fulfillment of countless objectives and requirements.” (emphasis added), which attest to the worldwide extent of the flourishing live-looking artificial flowers/plant industry.
Other known U.S. Patent prior art, over which this invention is distinguished, is as follows:                A. E. Decamp U.S. Pat. No. 3,041,766 (1961)        Gallo U.S. Pat. No. 3,309,258 (1967)        Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,467 (1992)        Weitz U.S. Pat. No. 4,816,301 (1989)        Johnson U.S. Pat. No. 5,221,565 (1993)        A. Abramson U.S. Pat. No. 3,050,619 (1962)        Kise U.S. Pat. No. 3,452,476 (1969)        J. I. Adler, U.S. Pat. No. Jr. 2,984,036 (1962)        A. E. Decamp U.S. Pat. No. 2,881,545 (1959).        
Since artificial-bloom vegetation is sold in the same stores as live-bloom vegetation, they obviously satisfy independent markets. However, it is also very important to note that artificial flowers are sold not separately, but as part of an artificial plant assembly, such as a vine or a plant main stem or trunk having leaves and flower stems attached thereto, there being no conversion kit available, for example.
The specific structures of artificial plants and flowers may vary, but a common feature (for purposes of manufacturing and assembly economy, even as between different plant assemblies, to simplify parts inventory and manufacture/assembly procedures) is a straight (free of sharp bends) and uniform-cross section plastic stem frictionally insertable through leaf and flower passages therefor.